Nail Ideas: A Black Matte French Manicure

You have perhaps read right here how much I despise matte nail polish. I'm going to recant that statement and reword it a bit: I don't like colorful matte nails. Nude is fine, though, and as for black, I've been pinning versions of the look on my "Fall/Winter Makeup" Pinterest board for months.

My favorite variation on the look is the black French manicure, where the nail is painted matte black and the tip is glossy. The opposite looks cool too, but it's not as sophisticated, in my opinion, and that's what I love about this manicure. It's a sexy, sophisticated take on nail art, but not kitschy or girlie because it's, well, black.

You don't have to worry about being precise since the whole nail is black, and the matte polish tends to be thinner than regular nail polish, which makes for less accidental blobbing. If you're super type-A, though, and insist on a clean line, you can run out and get nail guide sticks (like the Orly French Manicure Tip Guides, available at Sally Beauty). And there's no shortage of matte topcoats out there these days—Essie, Sephora by OPI, Orly, CND, and Rescue Beauty Lounge all have them in their collections.